Tip Of The Week: How To Film Great Family Videos

The summer holidays are fast approaching so many of us will be spending time with the family and doing activities like having a family day out. I know myself that a combination of excitable children and unpredictable weather don’t always make the best video plus when I am always the one behind the camera it can offer an unrealistic view of what was actually happening that day, so I’ve gathered some tips from the boffins at Panasonic to help you get the most from your family home videos!

Here are some top tips from Panasonic’s video expert, Mark Baber, to help you avoid common mistakes.

1. Get your positioning and angles right
To make sure you’re capturing your children’s faces clearly during that fun-filled dig in the sand, crouch down so you’re at their level. A great way to capture children’s merry mayhem without distracting them with your presence is to actively look away from the camcorder or turn your body in a different direction. Look out for camcorders that offer a ‘Level Shot’ function – they’ll automatically correct tilting to avoid wonky shots.

2. Engage the troops
The most memorable home videos are often the ones which contain unexpected action or little ones’ laugh-out-loud outbursts while playing at home on a rainy day. While the best moments tend to happen naturally, asking non-leading questions like “what are you doing?” or, better still, “what are you about to do next?” can help to achieve video gold. Remember that the microphone is closer to you, so speak quietly or even keep the camcorder on standby and only start recording once you’ve asked the question.

3. Flex your creative muscles
Make your videos look more fun by using creative effects and filming modes. If you’re on a long car journey, ask the person in the passenger seat to film the view of the road and fast forward this into a timelapse. Or why not try black and white mode to make it look like a silent movie and get the kids to do their best mime artist impressions. Look out Martin Scorcese!

4. Star in your own movie
If you’re behind the camera, it often means that you don’t appear much in your family videos. A great way to get in on the action is to use a camcorder that can be controlled remotely using a smartphone. For example, with the Panasonic V550 or W750 you can position the camcorder in a corner, join in on the family fun and click record on your smartphone. You can also zoom in and out, check the sound levels and watch the live image all on your trusty phone.

5. Share the fun
If there’s a family member that can’t join you but you don’t want them to miss out, opt for a camcorder with real-time broadcasting. This function lets you stream live images to anyone around the world with an internet connection. So if someone is stuck at work or lives on the other side of the world, they can still be part of your Easter extravaganza.

6. Cheat your way to a professional family video
If you’d much rather relax and enjoy the family fun without worrying about camera angles, a pan-tilt cradle can do all the hard work for you. Pop the camcorder on top and it’ll pan the scene, detecting movement to then tilt and zoom in on the action, like your very own cameraman!

Blog Ambassador: JuggleMum is proud to be part of the Panasonic Brit Bloggers Ambassador programme #PanasonicBritBloggers. As an Ambassador I have exclusive access to try out their latest technology and report back my thoughts on this blog, as well as being able to keep you up to date with any goings on in the Panasonic world, like new product launches!